The Short Mystery Fiction Society Celebrates its 30th Anniversary by Josh Pachter - Debra H. Goldstein This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Level Best Books is publishing Hot Shots: Celebrating Thirty Years of the Short Mystery Fiction Soc...

Josh Pachter, editor of the new anthology, Hot Shots: Celebrating Thirty Years of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, talks about its included stories, each representing one per year since SMFS began giving the Derringer award, on It's Not Always a mystery. www.debrahgoldstein.com/the-short-my...

What I’ve Learned Writing Historical Fiction by Kelly Oliver - Debra H. Goldstein I love reading historical mysteries-Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody, Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins, Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs, Susan Elia MacNeal’s Maggie Hope, Rhys Bowen’s Georgiana Rannoch...

Kelly Oliver addresses Writing historical fiction today on It's Not Always a Mystery www.debrahgoldstein.com/what-ive-lea...

ONE MOM LIFE…TWO SERIES! by Kathleen Marple Kalb - Debra H. Goldstein It took me a long time to become brave enough to write about motherhood. The first mystery I tried to sell featured a main character who was a young single woman, a lot like me a couple decades ago. W...

When writing (fiction) and real life (motherhood) intersect - www.debrahgoldstein.com/one-mom-life...

The Beauty of the Amateur in Solving Crimes by Valerie (V.M.) Burns - Debra H. Goldstein One of the key components of cozy mysteries is the use of the “amateur sleuth.” Amateur sleuths are usually female, who are not paid to solve crimes. They’re not trained members of law enforcement, no...

The Beauty of the Amateur in Solving Crimes by Valerie (V.M.) Burns - www.debrahgoldstein.com/the-beauty-o...

All About Rituals by Joanne Guidoccio - Debra H. Goldstein Rituals are about creating space in time, in our surroundings, and in our own minds. They give us a sense of predictability while still leaving room for creativity and flexibility. Something I already...

Think about the rituals that help spur you to write (or relax).... Yours and other writers as detailed by Joanne Guidoccio www.debrahgoldstein.com/all-about-ri...

The Choice I Made by Joanna Campbell Slan - Debra H. Goldstein Keep breathing. That’s what I told myself despite the immense pain radiating through my chest and shoulders. I hadn’t expected to come out of surgery and feel like I was being crushed alive. The nurse...

The Choice I Made by Joanna Campbell Slan - www.debrahgoldstein.com/the-choice-i...

Lessons Learned—and Discovered by James M. Jackson - Debra H. Goldstein I promised when I created my second series, Niki Undercover Thrillers, that I would make my writing life easier. I particularly wanted to improve ease of marketing the series. Turns out my stories hav...

Lessons Learned—and Discovered by James M. Jackson - www.debrahgoldstein.com/lessons-lear...

KNIFE RIVER: CRIME FICTION & MUSIC - WHEN ARTFORMS INTERSECT by Baron Birtcher - Debra H. Goldstein In recent months, I have been doing a number of talks and signings in support of the release of the newest installment of the Will Rogers Medallion award-winning Sheriff Ty Dawson crime thriller serie...

KNIFE RIVER: CRIME FICTION & MUSIC - WHEN ARTFORMS INTERSECT by Baron Birtcher - www.debrahgoldstein.com/knife-river-...

COZY & CO. – The Importance of Surrounding Yourself With Kindred Souls by S. C. Merritt - Debra H. Goldstein When I began my author adventure in 2020 at the ripe, old age of 58, I decided I may have been ripe, but I wasn’t expired. But I was clueless. And when I say that, I mean I was winging it in every asp...

Sharing a post by S. C. Merritt on how important it is for writers to surround themselves with kindred souls (posted on It's Not Always a Mystery) www.debrahgoldstein.com/cozy-co-the-...

The Light Enables Mystery Writers to Explore the Dark by Bobby Mathews - Debra H. Goldstein Here’s a surprising twist on crime and mystery writers that you might not know: these writers who deal with some of the darkest crimes that the human mind can conjure are also some of the nicest peopl...

Writers can write dark because of the light in their lives that support them... Bobby Mathews explains it best.
www.debrahgoldstein.com/the-light-en...

Two Truths and a Lie: What Being a Veterinarian Taught Me About Writing Cozy Mysteries by DL Mitchell - Debra H. Goldstein When people hear I’m both a veterinarian and a cozy mystery author, their eyes widen. A veterinary career is surprisingly great training for writing about amateur sleuths, quirky characters, and hidde...

Two Truths and a Lie: What Being a Veterinarian Taught Me About Writing Cozy Mysteries by DL Mitchell - www.debrahgoldstein.com/two-truths-a...

Writing What You Know, Or Writing What You Want to Know by Carl Vonderau - Debra H. Goldstein You’re supposed to write about what you know. So what do you do if you’re a banker and you write about crime? You have to make up a few things if you want to keep your job. In my first book, Murderabi...

Writing What You Know, Or Writing What You Want to Know by Carl Vonderau - www.debrahgoldstein.com/writing-what...

Keeping Track of Chaos by Lynn Cahoon - Debra H. Goldstein Author Lynn Cahoon shares her system for taming the chaos of publishing with planning, goals, and organization.

Amazing author Lynn Cahoon talks about Keeping Track of Chaos on It's Not Always a Mystery www.debrahgoldstein.com/keeping-trac...

Will They or Won’t They? By Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell - Debra H. Goldstein Mac Almeida investigates a Halloween murder in Maddie Day’s 7th Cozy Capers mystery, Murder at Cape Costumers.

Delighted to welcome Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell to It's Not Always a Mystery today. She's writing about what all authors face with their publishers "Will They or Won't They" www.debrahgoldstein.com/will-they-or...

Reading the World by Miranda James - Debra H. Goldstein Author Miranda James shares how travel and books inspired his new Ireland-set mystery, Something Whiskered.

With Miranda James' new book, Something Whiskered being released, it's a treat to find out how reading the world influenced its writing.

ouch!

Animals in Cozy Mysteries by Sharon Marchisello - Debra H. Goldstein Cozy mystery with cats—both feral and pet. Trap, Neuter, Die tackles murder, rescue, and flawed animal laws in small-town Georgia.

Animals in cozy mysteries... or any writing? Here's how it worked for author Sharon Marchisello www.debrahgoldstein.com/animals-in-c...

A Foolproof Plan by Judy Penz Sheluk - Debra H. Goldstein Judy Penz Sheluk shares the 5-year journey behind her story A Foolproof Plan, featured in Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers.

Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution-how far would you go? Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 stories of Mystery & Suspense. On It's Not Always a Mystery, Editor Judy Penz Sheluk tells what it took for her story to be accepted. www.debrahgoldstein.com/a-foolproof-...

A Foolproof Plan by Judy Penz Sheluk - Debra H. Goldstein Judy Penz Sheluk shares the 5-year journey behind her story A Foolproof Plan, featured in Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers.

A Foolproof Plan by Judy Penz Sheluk - www.debrahgoldstein.com/a-foolproof-...

Curious South – Or Five Weird Things About My Writing by Lexi George - Debra H. Goldstein Explore Lexi George's quirky writing process: supernatural oddities, hair fetishes, Southern food, and unexpected character appearances.

Curious South – Or Five Weird Things About My Writing by Lexi George - www.debrahgoldstein.com/curious-sout...

Text: Let's Make a Mystery! Wed, June 18, 6p-7:30p MST Panelists will create a mystery based on the setting, characters, and weapon you provide. Moderated by Debra H. Goldstein, Panelists: Eva Eldridge, Sue Flaig, Sarah Smith (Editors for SoWest: Danger Awaits! Register at https://desertsleuths.com Images: Desert Sleuths logo, sleuth icon, magnifying glass icon.

Join us for a fun evening... Let's Make a Mystery! Panelists will create a mystery based on the setting, characters, & weapon you provide. Moderator: @debrahgoldstein.bsky.social Panelists: @evaeldridge.bsky.social, @sarahwriter.bsky.social, & Sue Flaig. Register at desertsleuths.com
#amwriting

Family Ties and Writing Inspiration by Ann Michelle Harris - Debra H. Goldstein As writers we want to tell compelling stories to keep readers turning the pages. One way to do that is to use universal themes to connect emotionally. Whether your primary story is violently intense o...

Family Ties and Writing Inspiration by Ann Michelle Harris - www.debrahgoldstein.com/family-ties-...

The Times They Are A-Changing by Debra H. Goldstein

On Writers Who Kill, I address what's going on for all of us who write.......

Writing Under The Gun by Cindy Goyette - Debra H. Goldstein When I wrote my first book, I did so with a gun on my hip. I worked at the New York/Quebec border for ICE (although it wasn't called that then). I routinely volunteered to work the least favorite shif...

Sometimes it takes a little longer for that first book, but then the deadlines......a former law enforcement officer's perspective on the trajectory of her career and balancing it now.
www.debrahgoldstein.com/writing-unde...

If Walls Could Talk: Historic Houses in Crime Fiction by Kate Michaelson - Debra H. Goldstein Old homes have always fascinated me. Maybe it's because I grew up in a hundred-year old farmhouse hearing stories about those who lived there long before our family. I remember looking at the towering...

If rooms could talk... or can they? www.debrahgoldstein.com/if-walls-cou...

The Gift that Keeps on Giving by Carmen Amato - Debra H. Goldstein "If the police show up, make sure you're holding the package." The fellow CIA officer prepping me to meet a deep cover agent wasn't trying to scare me, although he sure succeeded. No, he was simply be...

The Gift that Keeps on Giving by Carmen Amato - www.debrahgoldstein.com/the-gift-tha...

Reviews and Reviewer Opinions by Debra H. Goldstein - Susan Van Kirk Authors are often told not to read reviews. I don’t fully subscribe to that philosophy because I believe that there is something to be gained from reviews and learning what impresses a given reviewer....

Reviews and Reviewer Opinions by Debra H. Goldstein susanvankirk.com/reviews-and-...

Release Day by Bethany Maines - Debra H. Goldstein Today is the official release day for Elevator Ride- Book 1 of the Valkyrie Brothers Trilogy-an action-packed, age-gap, rom-com mystery! For me, "release day" always conjures visions of a novel in a c...

Congrats to Bethany Maines on her new rom-com book, Elevator Ride - the first in a new series! www.debrahgoldstein.com/release-day-...

How to Write a Complex Plot by Maggie Toussaint aka Valona Jones - Debra H. Goldstein It is an accomplishment to write the first draft of a book, but it is an even greater feat to polish that book into something that sparkles. This post is written by a mystery author, but elements of i...

How to Write a Complex Plot by Maggie Toussaint aka Valona Jones - www.debrahgoldstein.com/how-to-write...

Working on a short story, but being distracted by some very nice weather (after some very stormy times) here in Alabama. How are things where you are?